Chapter 25 SEALING VOWS

Chapter 25 SEALING VOWS
Aria's POV

The boys frowned and gave her a tense gaze. “Who the hell do you think you are?” The last one of the boys who haven't spoken yet regarded her with extreme contempt. 

“What do you think, I am your worst nightmare. Now get moving before this gets rather ugly!” Ciora snapped back.

Zephyr folded his arms and a grin settled on his face. “Odrain, this isn't the place to practice that silly narcissistic behavior of yours, you cross the line here you get spanked. I followed the rules of the house enough. I told you all. Out here, I am who I am and I wouldn't like to be disturbed!” 

I gazed at the four and I realized they all shared a likeness to Zephyr. Gollocks had his crimson eyes and facial shape, so they looked very much alike but he was way bigger than Zephyr. 

Odrain looked more sinister but his eyes were brown and his hair was golden but he spoke in the same vibrant manner that Zephyr did. 

Aseryn who seemed to be the most different but he also held himself in the same manner that Zephyr did. Poised, vibrant and proud and Celphar also had the same crimson eyes and facial representation. 

Celphar stretched his hand between Ciora and Odrain. “Come on now,” he sighed. “You don't want to come. Fine! But there will be consequences!”

The four boys headed out of our way and soon disappeared into the distance, their figures shrinking until they were nothing more than moving shadows.

“That’s your family?” I demanded immediately, the words leaving my mouth before I could soften them.

“Yeah,” he said, his gaze tired, his face carrying the weight of something he clearly didn’t want to revisit. “Come on, let’s just go. I am going to explain everything to you. I wish I could have kept their existence a secret for much longer.” He exhaled, the sound heavy, like it carried years of frustration with it.

Ciora gave him a frowned look, clearly not satisfied. “Why do you intend to hide them as a secret?” she demanded, her tone sharp with confusion and disbelief.

“’Cause I am not proud of them. I wish every day I wasn’t born into such a family!” He sighed again, longer this time, as though the conversation itself was draining what little energy he had left. He looked like someone who was tired of explaining, tired of remembering, tired of carrying it all.
“Your mother?” I asked quietly.

“She is dead. My father has been married four times. Two left him. One died. My mom died. He is married to one now. All of them had children for him, and I am one of those children.” Payten replied with a heavy heart.

The words felt blunt, stripped of emotion, as if saying them any other way would make them hurt more.
“How many are you guys?” Even Payten was forced to ask, the question hanging awkwardly in the air.

Zephyr smiled. “Thirteen!” he said, forcing brightness into his voice. “Seven girls and six boys.” He said it with a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“That is a large family!” Ciora chuckled. 

“Yeah and a buttload of disturbance and problems.” He said with a sigh. ⅔

They walked the rest of the road silently. When we arrived at my room, Zephyr sat on his chair as usual and Payten sat beside Ciora while I laid sprawled on my bed.

Zephyr stared for a while and then began to speak. He seemed to have lots of things weighing on his emotions. Just by seeing his family, I understood what he has been going through. It is a lot when one is born into a family that is dysfunctional.

I wasn't born into any family. I have always been orphaned, and I however lived in the royal house of the Storm Kingdom as a slave. I was raised in hostility and pain, surrounded by cruelty that became normal to me. Every day was a reminder of what I was — owned, unwanted, and invisible. That kind of upbringing hardens a person in ways no one should have to understand. So I can only imagine what it must feel like when that same kind of grumpiness, that same bitterness, comes from your actual family.

“My father is Helsrach Andorin!” he paused, letting the weight of the name settle in the air. “He is the head of the court in the Flame Kingdom. Also meaning he is the second most powerful person in the Flame Kingdom. Also means he is the most powerful man!”

“You are royalty!” Payten almost screamed, the words bursting out of him before he could stop himself.

“Yeah. I am.”

“Then why are you not like the other royalty?” he asked, confusion thick in his voice.

“What, you think I am different from them, how?” Zephyr asked.

“They are all assholes,” Payten said in a whispering tone, like he was afraid the word itself might summon them.

“Hey!” Ciora yelled. “I am a princess too,” she shook her head in protest.

“Flure Kingdom doesn't count. Everyone there is nice,” he replied without hesitation.

Zephyr chuckled softly at that, but his expression soon hardened again as he continued. “Anyways, apart from my dad being a terrible one, I grew up among the family. Uncles and aunts everywhere. And I was an outcast as a kid. Because my mother… My mother was a slave, so I was marked as impure. No one accepted me as a kid. My siblings all hated me. I was the one among the thirteen they were all allowed to tease and make fun of. And my dad didn't actually act like he knew me. He was never really interested in my existence.”

He paused a longing look appearing on his face. I couldn't imagine what that would do to me. I was for a second, glad it was strangers who rebuked me. I don't know how it would have felt if I had a family and they wanted nothing to do with me.. that cold sinking nature of the people that were supposed to provide you warmth being the sole purpose of your pain. 

“So. Someone else took me in. Well, not take me in, but they showed me what my father never could. I felt like it was the best thing to happen to me. He was the head maid of the castle. Taught me how to use my abilities and made me realize the world wasn't out to get me…” he stopped talking and just stared at the cold dark wall.

Ciora slid off the bed and walked towards him kneeling in front of him. She placed a hand on his head and smiled. “You are okay now.”  

Zephyr nodded. “I know,” he sighed. “I know. I feel great about it, I guess!”

Ciora gave him a long look.  “You have gone through a lot boy,” she said, then looked around the room. “Everyone has!” 

She smiled. “Well as the group leader. I want you all to come over here and put your palm on mine!” she said, extending her hand. 

I grunted, feeling lazy to crawl out of the bed. I was the last to put my hand on theirs. “So, now we all state our dreams. Something you want to do, want to become. We will stamp it here and we will make sure no matter what, we have each other's backs!” Ciora ordered. 

“I will go first. I want to be a world renowned healer, like Nesari. It is great!” she smiled. 

Payten surprisingly spoke next. “I want to be powerful!”

Zephyr went next. “I want to be a better father than my dad ever was!” 

When it reached my turn, I paused for a long while before answering. “I want to be happy like this all my life!” 

Great. “It is sealed!!” We raised our hands to the sky and then yellled.